I said my final farewell to Bender on Tuesday afternoon. The house is terribly quiet. Rico and I are sad.
Redsky Bender 4/9/13 – 12/9/25
He had gone downhill so quickly since his 12th birthday in April. He was almost totally deaf and blind. He had increasing dementia that was so puzzling to watch. He was more and more wobbly and fell down several times a day. I had to help him stand up pretty regularly.
Bender was the happiest dog I’ve ever owned. Absolutely nothing phased him. Throughout his life with epilepsy, he never let it bother him. He never let it negatively affect him. I was the one who carried that burden. But his refusal to be affected by it helped me deal with it as well.
He was also the most photogenic dog on earth. He really never took a bad photo.
I knew this time was coming. When my friends saw him at Thanksgiving after not seeing him for 8 months, all three of them said, “Anne, it’s time to let him go.”
On Tuesday he told me it was time. I called the vet with tears in my eyes and asked if they could get him in. They had an opening. We had a couple hours to cuddle on the sofa, eat lots of cheese and some ice cream, and just enjoy hour last moments together.
He loved al the attention he got at the vet. And the staff there was so amazing. I think that letting a pet go is a generous gift we can give them… a peaceful, dignified, quiet passing with their favorite people helping them on their journey.
It’s such a difficult deicision to make. But I know it was the right one.
agilejack 